Pumping means

ABSTRACT

A pumping apparatus particularly suitable for efficiently pumping relatively large volumes of fluid such as water from one elevation to another including a propeller type blade mounted for rotation adjacent to the immersed open inlet end of a flow conduit of pipe, rotation of said blade establishing a head of water in the conduit, filling the conduit upstream thereof and forcing the fluid to flow through the conduit to be exhausted therefrom usually at a higher elevation. The subject pump is particularly well suited to be operated in tandem with other similar pumping means in the same conduit in situations where it is desired to move the fluid to a considerably higher elevation.

D United States Patent 1 [111 3,799,690 Klaas Mar. 26, 1974 PUMPING MEANS Primary Examiner-C. J. Husar 761 t. E IB.KI ,B 6, .R., 1 men or gl z g z s 0 2 Attorney, Agent, or FirmChar1es B. Haverstock 221 Filed: May 30,1972

Appl. No.: 258,184

[57] ABSTRACT A pumping apparatus particularly suitable for efficiently pumping relatively large volumes of fluid such as water from one elevation to another including a propeller type blade mounted for rotation adjacent to the immersed open inlet end of a flow conduit of pipe, rotation of said blade establishing a head'of water in the conduit, filling the conduit upstream thereof and forcing the fluid to flow through the conduit to be exhausted therefrom usually at a higher elevation. The subject pump is particularly well suited to be operated in tandem with other similar pumping means in the same conduit in situations where it is desired to move the fluid to a considerably higher elevation.

9 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDMARZB x914 SHEET 1 [1F 2 PATENTEDMAR2619M SHEET 2 BF 2 PUMPING MEANS There are many known pumping devices including pumping devices that use blades of various kinds and descriptionsFor the most part, the known pumping devices require relatively complicated housing structures with rotating fans, fins and/or other means to produce the suction necessary to establish the flow. Such devices are relatively expensive to make, are difficult and time consuming to repair and maintain, they have relatively limited pumping capacities, and they are rela tively inefficient for'the reason that the, fluid being pumped usually has to move along a tortuous path and undergo relatively complicated movements all of which substantially increase the energy requirements. Also, most known pumping devices require lubricating means to develop the necessary suction or pumping action and they require relatively close tolerances between the moving and the nonmoving or stationary parts. These and other disadvantages and shortcomings of the known pumping devices are overcome by the present means which are relatively simple and inexpensive to make and use, do not require any special seals or sealing means, do not cause the fluid being pumped to change direction or move along complicated paths. Furthermore, the present pumping means are extremely efficient and lend themselves to tandem operations where it is desired to elevate a liquid a considerable amount. The present pumping means are also relatively easily constructed in different sizes and capacites andcan be made to operate efficiently even when the level of the liquid at the inlet does not completely immerse the inlet end; 7

It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide improved and more efficient means for pumping liquids such as water.

Another object is to provide liquid pumping means whichdo not substantially change in the direction of flow of the liquid being pumped.

Another object is to provide pumping means which can be operated as single units and can be ganged in the same conduit to increase the pumping action.

. Another object is to provide a relatively simple, inexpensive, easy to operate, and maintenance free pumping means which can be constructed using existing readily available components in its construction.

Another object is to provide relatively simple and in-,

expensive means for efficiently moving large quantities of water and other liquids.

Another object is to provide relatively. portable pumping means which can berelatively easily and expeditiously installed and operated without requiring skilled labor.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after considering the following detailed specification which discloses several embodiments thereof in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a flow conduit equipped with pumping means constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken a through the center of the inlet end portion of the pumping means of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3is a cross-sectional view taken on line 33of FIG. 1; and,

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the subject pumping means.

Referring to the drawings more particularly by refer ence numbers, number 10 refers generally to a liquid pumping means constructed according to the present invention. The pumping means 10 include a tubular conduit or pipe 12 having an open inlet end 14 which is shown immersed or submerged in a body of liquid such as in a lake or stream. The pipe 12 extends from the immersed end 14 to an opposite end 16 which in the embodiment shown is connected to the end of an other pipe section 18. It is also contemplated to have the pipe end 16 made open ended or connected to another section of plain pipe from which the liquid will discharge.

A shaft 20 is mounted for rotation in the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and with the lower end portion of the shaft journaled for rotation in a bearing 22 which is shown fixedly mounted to the inside of the pipe 12 by means of one or more supports such as the support 24. The free 'end of the shaft 20 extends to near the inlet open end 14. of the pipe and has a propeller blade 26 mounted thereon. The blade 26 is preferably of a type such as are commonly used on motor boats to propel them through the water. In the subject device the propeller 26 is mounted so that the side of the blade that would normally face forwardly on a motor boat, which is normally the flatter blade side 28, is the side that is positioned closest to the open inlet end 14 of the pipe 12. The opposite side 30 of the blade 26 then faces downstream into the pipe 12. The bearing support member 24 (FIG; 2) is also shown as being supported inside of thepipe 12 by other support members 32, two of which are included in the construction as shown.

The shaft 20 in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 is shown extending at an angle relative to the axis of the pipe 12 and passes through an overhead housing 34 which is attached to the pipe. The shaft also passes through a packed bearing assembly 36 which may be of a known construction and includes a threaded cover member 38 which can be removed for repacking with a suitable packing material 40 and then reinstalled and adjusted. The shaft 20 on the outside of the pipe 12 extends through another bearing assembly or pillow block 42 whichis fixedly mounted on the pipe 12 by support means 44, and the end of the shaft .20 opposite from the blade 26 is connected to the rotor 46 of a motor 48 or other prime mover, being shown keyed thereto by I water in. much the same way as a propeller propels a boat through'the water. It has been discovered that this form of pumping means is able to support a considerable column of water or other liquid with a minimum of energy required and is able to move the water through the pipe 12 and out the opposite end at a very rapid rate. As compared to all other known pumping means used for the same or similar purposes and with comparable size conduits, the present pumping means has been found to be the most efficient and able to move and/or elevate the largest volume of water in the shortest possible time. Furthermore, with the present construction there is little or no tendency for the sub ject pumping means to become jammed or clogged since substantially the full length of the conduit or pipe is unobstructed and the liquid does not have to move along a circuitous path through the pump. This is a tremendous advantage especially when moving large volumes of liquids especially if the liquids may contain some amount of obstructions and foreign matter such as twigs, leaves, vegetation, fish and other things that otherwise might clog up a more usual type of pumping device.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the pipe 12 is shown provided with one or more handles or hooks 52 which can be relatively easily engaged by a block and tackle and other lifting mechanism when it is desired to move the pumping means, or to place it in the most advantageous position for pumping, or to store it.

When water or some other liquid is to be pumped a considerable distance or to a much higher elevation the amount that is contained in the pipe may become very substantial depending on the diameter and length of the pipe. In fact it may become so large as to overload the pumping means. To overcome this it is contemplated to provide more than one .similar type of pumping means installed at spaced intervals along a conduit or pipe to share the pumping load and increase the pumping capacity thereof. This is especially important when pumping large volumes up considerable elevations. In FIG. 1 a second rotating blade 26A is shown mounted inside of the second or upstream pipe section 18. The blade 26A is similar in construction to the blade 26 and mounted for rotation on another shaft 20A, which shaft of the pipe 18 at a suitable location. Also, if desired the drive means for the shaft 20A can be made to extend into the pipe 18 by using chains, gearsor belts but this usually complicates the construction without any compensating advantages. The drive means for the shaft 20A can also be the same as for the shaft 20.

It has been discovered that the present form of pumping means will operate efficiently even when the inlet end 14 of the conduit or pipe 12 is only partially submerged in the liquid. This is true even when the level of the liquid at the inlet end is less than about half-way across the inlet. Under these conditions the pump means will draw in enough water to build up a solid column of water extending in the pipe from the blade 26 to where the water is to be discharged.

The present type of pumping means can be used in pipes of widely varying sizes and diameters and they have' many applications including especially applications wherein it is desired to raise the level of a liquid for some reason, such as draining off water for irrigation or otherwise, moving it to a higher level for some reason, draining a low area, and so forth. It can also be used simply to move a liquid from one location to another. It is also contemplated to provide a grid, screen or perforated cover such as the perforated cover 54 for over or around the inlet end 14 of the conduit 12 for safety reasons to personnel and to keep out debris and other things that might cause jams or be undesirable such as to keep out logs, rocks, and other larger objects and also fish, although most fish will ordinarily go through without jamming.

Thus there has been shown and described novel pumping means which fulfill all of the objects and advantages sought therefor. Many changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications of the subject pumping means will, however, become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and the accompanying drawings. All such changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications which'do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention which is limited only by the claims which follow.

What is claimed is:

l. Pumping means comprising an open ended tubular conduit of relatively uniform cross sectional size and shape and having inlet and outlet ends, means supporting the conduit with the inlet end being at least partially submerged in a body of a liquid to be pumped, a multiblade motor boat type propeller positioned in the conduit adjacent to the inlet end thereof, all of the blades of said propeller having corresponding 'side edges which are substantially in the same plane, said coplanar blade 'edges being located on the side thereof associated with the conduit inlet, the side edges of the propeller blades opposite from said. coplanar side edges being less regular in shape, at least a portion of the propeller being submerged in the liquid to be pumped, means including a shaft mounting said propeller for rotation in the conduit, means to rotate said propeller in a direction and at a speed sufficient to draw liquid from the body of liquid into the inlet end of the conduit to fill the conduit extending from the propeller toward the outlet and to push the liquid through the conduit toward the outlet end thereof.

2. The pumping means defined in claim 1 wherein a plurality of similar blades are mounted for rotation at spaced locations in the tubular conduit, and means associated with each of said spaced blades to rotate said blades in a direction so that the action of the blades cooperate to move liquid through the conduit.

3. The pumping means defined in claim 1 including perforated grid means extending around the submerged open inlet end of the conduit to prevent relatively large objects from entering thereat.

4. The pumping means defined in claim 1 wherein said means mounting said blade for rotating in the conduit include a shaft having a first end extending into the conduit for supporting the blade, said shaft extending from the conduit to an opposite shaft end located externally thereof, and means journaling said shaft for rotation.

5. Means for pumping liquids comprising an open ended tubular conduit of relatively uniform cross sectional size and shape and having spaced inlet and outlet ends, the inlet end being at a lower elevation than the outlet end during operation, a multi-bladed propeller type blade of the type used on motor boats and means mounting said blade for rotation inside the conduit adjacent to the inlet end thereof, means supporting the conduit during operation so that the inlet end of the conduit and at least a portion of the blade are submerged in a body of a liquid to be pumped, means operatively connected to the blade mounting means to rotate said blade in the conduit in a direction and at a speed sufficient to draw liquid in at the inlet end of the conduit to fill the conduit with the liquid commencing at least at the blade and extending therefrom toward the outlet conduit end, rotation of said blade pushing the liquid contained in the conduit on the downstream side thereof toward the outlet end of the conduit, said blade having a somewhat smaller diameter than the inside diameter of the conduit and said blade being centered in the conduit. I

6. The pumping means defined in claim 5 wherein a second similar propeller type blade is mounted for rotation in the conduit at an intermediate location between the inlet and outlet ends thereof, and means for rotating said second blade in a direction to aid the pumping action produced by the aforesaid blade.

7. The pumping means defined in claim 5 wherein a plurality of similar blades are mounted at spaced'locations along and inside the tubular conduit, and means for rotating each of said blades in a direction so that all of the blades cooperate to move the liquid through the conduit in the same direction.

8. The pumping means defined in claim 7 including means connected thereto to facilitate the lifting and transporting thereof, said means including a hook attached to the conduit means at an intermediate location therealong.

9. The pumping means defined in claim 5 including perforated grid means positioned around the open inlet end of the conduit to prevent objects which might have trouble passing through, the conduit from entering thereat. 

1. Pumping means comprising an open ended tubular conduit of relatively uniform cross sectional size and shape and having inlet and outlet ends, means supporting the conduit with the inlet end being at least partially submerged in a body of a liquid to be pumped, a multi-blade motor boat type propeller positioned in the conduit adjacent to the inlet end thereof, all of the blades of said propeller having corresponding side edges which are substantially in the same plane, said coplanar blade edges being located on the side thereof associated with the conduit inlet, the side edges of the propeller blades opposite from said coplanar side edges being less regular in shape, at least a portion of the propeller being submerged in the liquid to be pumped, means including a shaft mounting said propeller for rotation in the conduit, means to rotate said propeller in a direction and at a speed sufficient to draw liquid from the body of liquid into the inlet end of the conduit to fill the conduit extending from the propeller toward the outlet and to push the liquid through the conduit toward the outlet end thereof.
 2. The pumping means defined in claim 1 wherein a plurality of similar blades are mounted for rotation at spaced locations in the tubular conduit, and means associated with each of said spaced blades to rotate said blades in a direction so that the action of the blades cooperate to move liquid through the conduit.
 3. The pumping means defined in claim 1 including perforated grid means extending around the submerged open inlet end of the conduit to prevent relatively large objects from entering thereat.
 4. The pumping means defined in claim 1 wherein said means mounting said blade for rotating in the conduit include a shaft having a first end extending into the conduit for supporting the blade, said shaft extending from the conduit to an opposite shaft end located externally thereof, and means journaling said shaft for rotation.
 5. Means for pumping liquids comprising an open ended tubular conduit of relatively uniform cross sectional size and shape and having spaced inlet and outlet ends, the inlet end being at a lower elevation than the outlet end during operation, a multi-bladed propeller type blade of the type used on motor boats and means mounting said blade for rotation inside the conduit adjacent to the inlet end thereof, means supporting the conduit during operation so that the inlet end of the conduit and at least a portion of the blade are submerged in a body of a liquid to be pumped, means operatively connected to the blade mounting means to rotate said blade in the conduit in a direction and at a speed sufficient to draw liquid in at the inlet end of the conduit to fill the conduit with the liquid commencing at least at the blade and extending therefrom toward the outlet conduit end, rotation of said blade pushing the liquid contained in the conduit on the downstream side thereof toward the outlet end of the conduit, said blade having a somewhat smaller diameter than the inside diameter of the conduit and said blade being centered in the conduit.
 6. The pumping means defined in claim 5 wherein a second similar propeller type blade is mounted for rotation in the conduit at an intermediate location between the inlet and outlet ends thereof, and means for rotating said second blade in a direction to aid the pumping action produced by the aforesaid blade.
 7. The pumping means defined in claim 5 wherein a plurality of similar blades are mounted at spaced locations along and inside the tubular conduit, and means for rotating each of said blades in a direction so that all of the blades cooperate to move the liquid through the conduit in the same direction.
 8. The pumping means defined in claim 7 including means connected thereto to facilitate the lifting and transporting thereof, said means including a hook attacHed to the conduit means at an intermediate location therealong.
 9. The pumping means defined in claim 5 including perforated grid means positioned around the open inlet end of the conduit to prevent objects which might have trouble passing through the conduit from entering thereat. 